Group lobbies for economic empowerment policy

The Economic Empowerment Action Group (Eeag) has asked Cabinet to approve the national economic empowerment policy, which was framed after countrywide consultations.

If approved, the policy will result in the establishment of the national economic empowerment commission, national economic empowerment fund and an Act that will ensure the formulation of the transformation charter and code of good practice for country’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Eeag executive director Temson Chinjala told Business News this week that if Malawi is to register meaningful development, it is the indigenous citizens who are marginalised through their businesses that have that capacity.

“We are requesting Cabinet to ensure that the policy is approved to ensure the passing of Economic Empowerment Bill into law in the forthcoming sitting of Parliament.

“As an autonomous organisation, we have to use all our means to ensure that the policy is approved for it to be implemented because we have waited for too long,” he said.

Chinjala said the policy will ensure that indigenous businesses have access to government contracts, quoting the small and medium enterprises survey of 2012 which showed that a paltry three percent of SMEs in Malawi access government contracts.